In My Veins
by escapedreality06
Summary: After her break-up, Alex builds a friendship with Lena. Unbeknownst to Kara, they hang out at least once a week to talk about their relationship woes and unrequited feelings. Jealousy ensues when Kara gets the wrong idea about their new friendship. As Lena and Alex get closer, Kara starts to reevaluate her feelings towards her green-eyed best friend.
1. Chapter 1

The photo was taken a few months ago. Kara and Lena were at a fundraising gala. They had their arms wrapped tightly around each other, smiles beaming at the camera. It was Lena's favorite picture of them. They looked perfect. She was glad the photographer captured that moment, she wanted to keep it forever.

She studied every detail of the photo, over and over again, the ache in her chest growing more prominent every time. This had become a nightly occurrence, sitting at the island across from her refrigerator staring at the picture. She would count how many glasses of wine she could have before she passed out. She never thought a picture could make her feel so damn broken. She never thought she would fall in love with her best friend. Her whole body ached knowing that the girl who lit up her entire world, would never feel the same way.

A knock startled Lena out of her thoughts and she snapped her head around to stare at the door. It had become a weekly occurrence. Every Thursday at eight, Lena would get a knock on her door.

She looked through the peephole and let out a small laugh. Alex is standing at her door with a bottle of her favorite scotch and a shit-eating grin to match. Lena opened the door after trying to attempt to look like she was not already drunk and moping. Alex took one look at her and shook her head. "I see you started without me," she pushed past Lena and headed straight for the kitchen.

Lena rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Please, do come in."

The CEO walked back to the kitchen and saw Alex rummaging through her cabinets. They have had enough of these nights that she knows exactly where to go. Lena resumed her seat at the island as she watched Alex pour their drinks.

After Maggie left, Alex felt her world turning into a downward spiral.

The more time she spent with Kara, Lena and Sam, the more she noticed the brunette's growing feelings for her sister. She was sure that Kara felt the same way, but Lena was unwilling to approach the blonde on the subject.

The saying really is true, misery does love company. They started having these drunken nights about a month ago. Alex showed up at Lena's door with a bottle of liquor and they sat in silence while they drank. They both had no idea what to say, what to talk about. They just needed someone who understood. It took a whole night before Alex worked up the courage to ask about Kara. She noticed that Lena had stiffened immediately, but after a few more drinks she got Lena to open up. They spent the night talking about Maggie and Kara, the women they loved, but couldn't be with.

They decided to keep these nights to themselves. Alex didn't want Kara to worry about her and Lena didn't want Kara to know that she had feelings for her. They figured that if Kara knew, she would want to join and they didn't want that. They needed a night to wallow, to feel like they could mope with a friend without being judged.

Alex handed Lena her drink and they clinked glasses.

"So, I'm guessing you have had a bad day?" Alex asked. She grabbed Lena's arm and led them into the living room. They both plopped down on the couch facing each other, their arms hanging over the back of the couch.

"Not necessarily," Lena began, once she got comfortable. "I had lunch with Kara."

"And?"

"And it was good, it was perfect." Lena sighed deeply and stared into her drink like she was asking it for answers. She ran her finger over the rim of the glass and looked back at Alex.

"Then what is the problem? Isn't that a good thing?" Alex responded, confused.

"Yes and no. I always love spending time with her, it's just that all the good moments just remind me that I'll never actually be with her. I'll never be hers. I always seem to want more."

They both remained silent for a while.

"Are you sure you don't want to at least try to tell her how you feel? I know my sister and you are great Lena, she would be crazy not to have feelings for you."

Lena gave her a gracious, but self-deprecating smile. "Thank you, I appreciate it. But Kara – Kara is like the sun. She is warm and bright. She could light up a whole room with her smile and I'm well – I'm me. What if I tell her and she runs in the opposite direction? What we have right now is so good, it's a friendship I have been searching for my whole life. I can't throw that away."

"Stop being so hard on yourself. It is never a bad thing to put yourself out there."

"Oh, really?" Lena says with a smirk. Alex knows exactly where she is going with that look and she quickly downs the rest of her glass.

The agent makes her way to the kitchen and brings back the bottle. She hopes that Lena will just drop the subject, but she is sure she won't be so lucky. "Yes, really," Alex says as she knocks back another drink. She revels in the feeling of the alcohol burning her throat on the way down.

"So, you don't think you were too hard on yourself for what happened with Sara?"

Alex shoots daggers at Lena. "Remind me to never tell you about my one-night stands ever again. And I may have been a little too hard on myself, and I may not be practicing what I preach. But what is the saying: 'do as I say, not as I do'?"

Last time they had hung out, Alex had mentioned her one-night stand to Lena. Granted she didn't tell her that she was fighting Nazi's on another Earth during the wedding of a superhero. She gave her the watered down 'I slept with a friend of Kara's at a wedding' version.

"Hmm, sure. You do realize I was a little too sober for all your drunken ramblings, right?" Lena clears her throat and makes her voice higher, "Oh, Lena! You had to see her abs! Oh, Lena! She has the sexiest voice! Oh, Lena! She did this thing with her fin—," Lena gets cut off when a pillow is thrown at her face.

The CEO throws her head back with laughter. Alex glares at her, before rolling her eyes and joining in.

"Asshole," Alex mutters under her breath.

Lena chuckles as she wipes at the moisture gathering in her eyes. "Damn, I think that was my favorite night so far. It was nice to hear that you let loose a little."

"Hey! I can be loose," Alex states. She crosses her arms and looks at Lena with a pout.

"You know, for adoptive siblings, you and Kara seem to have that identical Danvers pout."

"I don't pout," Alex stated. She tried to discretely stick her bottom lip back to its normal position.

"Oh, I'm sure I have no idea what I'm talking about." Lena gave Alex one of her signature eyebrow lifts.

Alex squirmed under Lena's watchful eye, "You don't." They stare each other down for a good minute, before they both smirked and downed their glasses.

It was Lena's turn to fill them both back up. Alex started to feel the buzz of the alcohol. She was sure Lena was there already considering she had started drinking before her. Their heads felt lighter and their bodies started to relax.

"How are you?" Lena asked as she brought the glass of scotch to her lips.

Alex let out a huge sigh, "Everyday it gets a little easier. I keep trying to remind myself that even if we did end up getting back together, it would never change how we felt about children."

"It is hard when you have to lose someone you are still so in love with. Most break-ups are because you grow apart or have a fight or something big happens. The hardest break-ups are the ones where you both still love each other so much, but are both walking away to give the other a shot at something better."

"How can something be better than what I had with Maggie?"

"You will find it someday. I know it may not seem like it right now, but someone will come along that will be able to give you everything you want." Lena looked at Alex and she could tell the short-haired women didn't believe a word she was saying. Lena sat up straight, "Let me ask you this, say that you got back together with Maggie, you gave in, told her that you didn't need to have kids to be happy. You had sacrificed something that is so vital to who you are. Do you think that you could be happy? Do you think that you wouldn't build some sort of resentment for her because she kept you from something you have looked forward to your whole life?"

Alex remained silent, mulling over Lena's words in her head.

"I wouldn't be happy without having children."

Lena nodded her head. "Just learn from this, Alex. Next time you meet a woman you think you can fall head-over-heels for, make sure that this is something that you are aware of. You need to make sure you are aware of your own values and desires and make sure they are too. You shouldn't have to sacrifice a part of yourself for someone else."

"I guess, I thought that was what love was supposed to be. That you would do anything – give up anything to be with someone."

"Love is a tricky thing. As a Luthor, I'm definitely no expert. I believe that there is a thing as too much sacrifice, though. Never be ashamed for putting yourself first. I may not have spent a lot of time with the both of you, but I know what you had was real."

"Yeah, it definitely was," Alex whispered.

"God, we are depressing," Lena muttered as she finished the remainder of her drink. She grabbed the bottle to get another refill and noticed that they were more than half of the way through. There was no way she was getting off this couch tonight. "Netflix time?" Lena asked.

"Please, I think I had enough talking for tonight."

"You are spending the night, so grab a blanket. I'm not having you drive home like this."

"I'm fine."

Lena raised an eyebrow and Alex gave her an eye-roll in response. "Fine, mom," Alex drawled.

Lena smiled satisfactorily and grabbed a blanket from the side of the couch. She turned on the television and they sat back to explore the shows.

"What are you feeling like tonight?"

"Anything, but romance. Sound good to you?"

"Perfect," Lena responded.

They got more comfortable on the couch. Alex put her feet on the ottoman and Lena set a pillow next to Alex's legs. She laid her head down and covered herself with her blanket. She knew that she wouldn't be awake for much longer. She picked a comedy to watch, "This is Where I Leave You".

Alex looked down at Lena, she was glad they had these moments. She felt like she adopted a new sister. She truly hoped that one day Kara and Lena would find happiness.

The pair of women passed out before the movie was over, too emotionally drained and drunk to keep their eyes open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kara made her way to Lena's house with two cups of coffee and Lena's favorite breakfast. Her friend had seemed off yesterday and she wanted to bring her breakfast in the hopes of cheering her up. It was a Friday morning so Kara knew that she would be up soon to get ready for work.

She said her good mornings to the doorman of the building and clicked the button to the top floor on the elevator. She made her way down the hallway and grabbed the key that Lena had given her. Kara texted Lena before she left home so the brunette should be expecting her.

She opened the door quickly juggling the coffees and the bag of food. She called out for Lena, but she didn't receive an answer. She set down her items in the kitchen and set off for the living room.

"Lena?"

Kara froze in her tracks at the sight in front of her. There on the couch was her best friend and her sister. They looked so comfortable with each other, like they had done this a thousand times before. Lena was laying with her head resting against Alex's legs. Alex had her arm draped over Lena's side as they slept peacefully. Kara felt a surge of something in her chest, but she couldn't put a name to it.

She knew she was hurt, though. Why had they kept this from her? Were they dating? She remembered walking in on Alex and Maggie like this once or twice. Was Lena dating her sister?

Kara debated what to do. She didn't know if she should wake them up or gather her things and go. She felt like she was intruding on a moment. She stared at the pair for another few minutes before making a decision.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara stood there staring. She felt like the image of her sister and Lena would be burned into her mind forever. She should be happy that her sister and Lena were getting closer. That's all she wanted, for people to see Lena like she did. A part of Kara was hurt though, she didn't know how to feel with this new-found information. She quickly turned around and grabbed the coffee and breakfast. She couldn't face them until she understood what she was feeling. She quietly left the house and shut the door.

Alex blamed her DEO training for hearing the soft click of the door. She opened her tired eyes and groaned when she felt the pounding in her head. She looked down at the brunette whose hair was sprawled across her lap. She chuckled at the little smile that was planted on Lena's face.

"Lena?" Alex's gravely voice sounded throughout the room. "Lee, get up."

"Shh, I'm sleeping," Lena tiredly replied with her eyes still closed. Alex grabbed a pillow and smacked Lena in the face with it.

She chuckled when she heard Lena groan. "What? What is so damn important that you are screaming in my ear at," she looks at the clock, "seven in the morning, seriously?"

"I thought I heard a door shut," Alex said as she moved to get up. She let her eyes roam around the room and saw nothing out of place.

"A door shut?" Lena questioned. She sat up a little too quickly and groaned as she felt a wave of nausea hit her. She took a few deep breaths willing the feeling to go away. Luckily, the nausea passed, and she stood up with Alex.

"Yes, now stay here so I can go look," Alex realized she didn't have her weapon and found a vase on one of the end tables. She figured Lena was rich enough to replace it just incase she had to break it over the head of some burglar.

"I don't know if you have realized this yet, Agent Danvers, but I'm not some damsel in distress." She reached under the couch cushion and pulled out a pistol. "Okay, let's go!"

Alex stared at Lena wide-eyed. The vase held limply in her arms.

Lena noticed the astonished expression and went to defend herself. "What? Someone tries to kill me at least once a month, I need to be prepared. I don't have Supergirl on speed dial."

Alex chuckled, if only Lena knew how wrong she was with her last statement. "Very badass, Luthor. I like it. If you want, I can teach you some of my fighting techniques next week?"

"Only if I get to hit you at least once," Lena gave her a smug expression and checked the gun to make sure it had bullets.

"Oh my God, shut up and let's check this place."

They took off quietly and each headed for different rooms. Lena took off near the kitchen, but nothing seemed out of place. They finished searching the house and found nothing.

"Okay, no one is here, but that doesn't mean that no one was."

Lena rolled her eyes, "You are probably just hearing things. Relax."

"Easy for you to say, if something happens to you Kara will kill me!" Alex knew that if anything ever happened to Lena, Kara would be devastated. She shivered at the thought of how broken her sister would be at the loss of her best friend. If Alex was being honest, the thought of losing Lena would be completely devastating to her too.

"Please, she doesn't even know you are here. It would hardly be your fault." Lena looked at the time again and groaned. "I better get ready, so I can head into the office."

"Okay, I'll text you later to discuss your training next week."

"Yes, Master Yoda." Lena put her hands together and bowed.

"God, you are such a nerd." They shared a laugh and said their goodbyes.

Lena went to the living room to clean up the mess that the two made last night. She showered and spent longer than she would like to admit picking her outfit for the day. Kara would be there, after all, she had to look good.

When Lena got to the office she spotted Kara immediately. They shared a small smile over the hustle and bustle of CatCo. Lena didn't think there would ever be a time where she wasn't blown away by all that is Kara Danvers. She internally groaned at the hopelessness of it all. Maybe Alex was right, though. Maybe if she clued Kara in on her feelings it wouldn't end in complete disaster. She grabbed her phone and texted Alex for advice.

 **Lena:** Do you think I should try flirting a little, just to see how she reacts?

 **Alex:** Lena, Kara is oblivious. You could take off all your clothes and drag her into your bed and she'd ask if you were cold and needed a blanket. You have to be upfront!

Lena fought the urge to laugh out loud. She couldn't help the smile that came to her face. She knew how true Alex's statement could be. Unbeknownst to Lena, Kara saw her staring at her phone with a smile. Kara's frown was immediate. She wanted to be the one to make Lena smile like that. She shook her head and turned to go back to her desk. How can she compete with someone who made Lena so happy, her sister of all people?

Lena continued to type on her phone as she headed down the hall.

 **Lena:** I don't really do upfront. I'm more of an 'avoid it and hope it goes away' kind of gal.

 **Alex:** Omg. We are hopeless.

 **Lena:** Eh well, I guess we can be miserable together.

 **Alex:** I am not letting you wallow in self-pity! You need to get off your gay ass and tell Kara how you feel.

 **Alex:** You know what? NO! Let's go out! We can go to the bar and have a good time. We need to have fun.

 **Lena:** Ugh, does that mean I have to talk to other people?

 **Alex:** Get off your ass.

 **Lena:** I'd rather not.

 **Alex:** Invite Kara and Sam!

That was how Lena found herself making her way to Kara's desk. She wrung her hands together nervously as she approached. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She and Kara hung out all the time. She was a few feet away when Kara looked up at her.

Lena stopped abruptly when she noticed that the sparkle forever present in Kara's eyes looked dimmer and the smile Kara sent her way wasn't as bright as usual. She frowned to herself and approached her best friend carefully.

"Hey, you," Lena said as she perched herself on Kara's desk.

"Hi Lena."

"Is everything okay? You seem off."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Promise." Kara answered. She returned to her laptop and continued the rough draft of her article. Lena looked at her quizzically. It was clear her best friend was lying to her.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Kara began to type furiously. "Oh, I'm sure. Just like you can tell me anything, right?" Kara snapped.

Lena's eyes got wide. She didn't know where Kara's behavior was coming from. She moved to stand up, clearly Kara wasn't in the mood to talk.

Kara saw Lena move out of the corner of her eye and immediately felt guilty. Obviously, Lena and Alex were keeping their relationship away from her for a reason. She reached out and wrapped her hand around Lena's wrist.

"I'm sorry, I'm just having a rough day."

"I'm here for you, if you want that."

"I know," they shared a small smile and held eye contact for a beat too long to be strictly platonic. Kara noticed that she still had her hand wrapped around Lena's wrist and quickly let go.

Lena instantly miss the warm contact.

They both cleared their throats and smiled shyly at each other. "Well, the reason I am here was to ask if you wanted to go out for drinks later."

"I would really like that," Kara responded.

Lena smiled brightly and clapped her hands together. "Great, I'll tell Alex you said yes!"

A frown instantly found itself on Kara's face. "Alex will – Alex will be there?" Kara stuttered out. She had a bad feeling about this. Maybe they were taking her out for drinks to tell her that they were together? If that was the case, Kara assumed it was serious.

"Yes, I thought we could have a girl's night. I asked Sam to go, but she said that she and Ruby were doing some last-minute Christmas shopping."

"Oh," Kara whispered. "Are you sure you want me there? I wouldn't want to intrude."

Lena scrunched her eyebrows at Kara's word choice. Why would she think she was intruding on girl's night? "Of course, you aren't intruding silly. I want you there."

"You do?"

"I always love spending time with you, Kara. Always."

"Okay, I will see you tonight. Let me know where and when."

"Will do," Lena reached down to squeeze Kara's hand. They locked eyes for a short while before Lena blushed and took her hand away. She gave an awkward wave to Kara as she turned and went to check on the art designs for the next magazine issue.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex and Lena sat at the bar waiting for Kara to show up.

"Alright, let's go over this again. What are you going to do when Kara gets here?" After talking it out, Alex and Lena decided that when Kara got to the bar, they would have a few drinks and then when Alex got up to 'use the restroom', Lena would ask Kara to dance.

"I don't know, but I know what I'm not going to do," Lena said matter-of-factly. "I'm not going to make a fool out of myself just because you have a 'feeling' that she likes me."

"Why are you so hard-headed?"

"I think it's part of the whole being a Luthor thing," Lena chuckled.

Alex rolled her eyes and got up to use the restroom.

"Hello beautiful," Lena heard over her shoulder. She spun around to see a man leering at her. "What's a pretty thing like you doing here all alone?"

Lena immediately rolled her eyes. She was not in the mood for this. She spun back around in her chair and pointedly ignored the gentleman.

"Oh, come on, baby. Don't be like that. I'm sure we can have a great time together." He moved to occupy Alex's vacant seat and Lena hoped her friend would hurry back.

"I'm not interested and I'm not here alone." Lena thought it was best to not give this guy the time of day. She remained facing forward with her drink in hand.

Clearly this guy couldn't take a hint, "Why don't we go back to my place and I can make you interested?"

"Excuse me, are you bothering my girlfriend?" Lena turned to see Alex behind her and gave her a grateful look. She turned back to the man and noticed his wide-eyes.

"Girlfriend? You're a dyke?" Lena couldn't tell if the guy was excited at the prospect of a threesome or disgusted by the fact that she liked women.

Alex moved quickly to Lena's side and slammed her hands down on the bar. She gave him an enraged look and spoke threateningly, "Leave. Now."

Lena smirked as she saw the man get up quickly and practically run away. Alex followed the man with her eyes as he left the bar. She watched him pass a blonde that was leaving. She could have sworn it was Kara, but quickly shook her head. Kara wouldn't have left. Alex took her seat back and gave Lena a proud smile. "Sorry about that. I know you can take care of yourself, but I can't stand when guys can't take no for an answer."

"It's all good. Thank you." They both clinked their glasses together and took a long swig of their scotch. Alex noticed that Lena kept looking towards the door and smirked.

"You know, I don't think staring at the door will make her show up any faster."

Lena blushed, "I'm sorry, I can't help it. I just want to spend time with her. Even though we hang out all the time, sometimes it feels like it can never get enough."

"Yeah, I get that. That's how it was with Maggie. I wanted to be with her constantly. She always made the day so much brighter."

Lena noticed the sad tone in her friend's voice and quickly moved to wipe those thoughts away. "Nope, no. We are not moving on to depressing and sad topics tonight. We are going to have fun." They both looked out at the people dancing. Lena thought that maybe she would work up the courage to ask Kara to dance tonight. She could picture their arms wrapped around each other swaying to the beat. Lena imagined getting lost in the feel of Kara's body and the way Kara's skin would feel against her own. She was brought out of her musings by the buzz of her phone. She looked down to see a text from Kara.

 **Kara:** Hi Lee, I'm sorry but I am working late. I have to finish this article by tonight. I will see you tomorrow. Say hi to Alex for me.

"What's wrong?" Alex questioned when she saw the disappointed look on Lena's face. She knew only one person who could have that effect on the brunette.

"She's not coming."


	3. Chapter 3

Kara's back hit the wall defeatedly outside the bar. The words she heard her sister exclaim still echoing loudly in her head.

"Are you bothering my _girlfriend_?"

Kara felt her eyes start to water. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself and sent a quick text to Lena. She knew that she was too emotional to sit there and watch them be all lovey-dovey. She kept questioning why she was getting so upset over her sister and Lena. She felt the burning jealousy in her chest, but she assumed it was because she was being left out. When Kara heard Alex mention Lena as her girlfriend she knew that she was wrong. She wanted to be able to call Lena her girlfriend. She wanted the late nights cuddled up on the couch. She wanted to be with Lena in every sense of the word.

She took a final deep breath and walked to a nearby alley where she shed her clothing and took off into the sky.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's been almost a week. A week since she walked into the bar and saw Lena and Alex. A week since she realized that the best friend she thought she had platonic feelings for had somehow completely taken over her mind. A week since she realized she was in love with the girl her sister was dating. A week since she gave up. How could she like someone her sister was dating? She felt like such a bad person.

Lena had asked her to hangout once more throughout the week, but Kara made up an excuse to get out of it. It hurt too much to be around her best friend knowing that she could never have her.

She spent most of her free time flying around the city. She figured that if she kept busy Lena wouldn't be occupying so many of her thoughts. Unfortunately, her plan wasn't working out as well as she had hoped.

She tried to steer clear of both Lena and Alex. Frankly, seeing either of them would just remind her that she missed her chance.

Her thoughts were interrupted by J'onn's voice in her ear saying that they needed her at the DEO. She told him she would be there soon and took off towards the large building.

She marched into the DEO and rested her open palms against the table.

"What have we got?"

J'onn turned around to acknowledge her. "Good morning Supergirl, we seem to have picked up suspicious activity last night in a warehouse a few miles outside of National City."

Alex and Winn joined the pair. She noticed that Alex was trying to make eye contact with her, but she refused. Things have been tense between them ever since that night at the bar. Kara tried to keep her distance to protect her heart and Alex was struggling to come up with a reason for her sister's behavior.

Winn cleared his throat and looked at the group worriedly, "According to my research, the warehouse is owned by L-Corp."

Both Danvers' attentions were immediately piqued and they both went on the defensive.

"Lena didn't do it."

"Lena isn't involved."

"With all due respect," J'onn told the women, "you don't know that for sure."

Kara was ready to argue before Alex stepped in, "I do. I was with her last night."

Kara's eyes widened before she narrowed them at her sister. "What were you doing with Lena?"

"We were just having a few drinks."

"I'm sure," Kara said with an eye-roll. Alex looked at her strangely before shaking her head and getting back to the topic at hand.

"Anyways," J'onn drawled, feeling the tension between the two women. "Winn, a large shipment was being transported to the warehouse. We need to find out what was in that truck. Our monitors were pinged for large levels of radiation. I don't know who is responsible, but for the safety of this city we need to figure out what they are up to."

"I can ask Lena if she knows anything about it," Alex offered. She watched as Kara folded her arms across her chest. Alex gave her a look, "Or you can, Supergirl."

J'onn shook his head. "Why don't I go? This way I can make sure that we can rule Lena out officially. I fear both of you have clouded judgement regarding Miss Luthor."

Alex and Kara both went to protest, but they knew that they could be a tad biased where their friend was concerned. They nodded their heads in agreement and decided to wait for J'onn to take any further action. When the group disbanded Kara tried to make a quick exit before she heard Alex jogging to catch up to her.

"Kara," Alex called out as they walked down the hallway. "Kara, we need to talk."

"No, I don't think we do." She turned around when she felt Alex's hand on her wrist.

"Did I do something to piss you off?"

"I don't know, did you?" Kara said as she crossed her arms defensively.

"I don't think so. Can you at least tell me why you have been avoiding me?"

"What is your relationship with Lena?" Kara blurted out.

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question," Kara demanded.

"We are friends. That's all." Alex didn't understand where all this animosity was coming from. She held out her hands in a show of surrender and stepped closer to Kara in an attempt to ease her mind.

"Sure," Kara snapped. She took off down the hallway towards the room with the big blocks of cement. She felt the urge to punch something.

"Kara, wait! I'm telling the truth," Alex chased after her.

Kara spun around so quickly that Alex barely had time to register the change in position and had to stop herself before she crashed into her sister. "You know, I thought that we never lied to each other Alex. I thought we could be honest."

"I am being honest!"

"I heard you that night at the bar. I heard you tell that guy that Lena was your girlfriend."

"No, Kara that was just a mis-," Alex tried to clarify, but before she got the chance Kara held up a hand.

"Save it, I just don't get why you are hiding this from me."

"Kara, wait," Alex pleaded. She understood now why her sister was reacting this way. She was jealous. She moved to grab ahold of Kara's hand, but the blonde took off. Alex watched her sister fly off of the balcony and sighed. She needed to talk to Lena. She grabbed her phone and shot the woman a quick text.

 **Alex:** Hey, Kara and I just had a fight. She apparently thinks you and I are dating. If you see her, can you please try and clear the air? She wouldn't listen to me. Maybe she will listen to you.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kara made her way to her desk. She was a little embarrassed to admit that she was actively avoiding her best friend. She tried to make it to her desk without being seen, but she had no such luck. She locked eyes with the Luthor and tried to look away as quickly as possible. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Lena had pulled out her phone. She watched Lena furrow her brows and then type out a quick response. Kara let out a sigh of relief hoping that the brunette just became busy. She opened her laptop and got to work. This week she was tasked with an article about Morgan Edge and his new building. She wished she could be bias in her articles; she was sure Lena wouldn't mind. She would just love to take that pompous jerk down a peg.

Kara was reading over her article intently when a cough sounded behind her. She knew that cough. She took a deep breath before turning to face her best friend.

"Hey Kara," Lena said, shyly.

"Hi," Kara replied. She hated that Lena could be so cute.

"Can we talk?"

"Now's not really a good time," Kara motioned towards her computer.

"Please, Kara?" Lena quietly begged.

Kara nodded, reluctantly.

"Are we okay?"

"Yes, why wouldn't we be?" Kara tried to play at nonchalant, but she could tell it wasn't working.

"I don't know, I've been getting the feeling that you are avoiding me," Kara went to protest but was cut off. "And before you deny it, I know you Kara. I really know you. So that means that I know when something is wrong, only this time I have no idea why."

"I'm fine."

Lena stepped closer and put her finger under Kara's chin. She heard Kara's sharp intake of breath and smiled. She lifted Kara's chin lightly so that they were making eye contact. They held each other's eyes for a second, both realizing how intimate the gesture was.

Lena whispered, "If you are so fine then where is that Sunny Danvers smile that I love so much? Because it has been missing for the past week."

Kara chuckled softly and pulled away. Being this close to Lena was killing her. "I've just been off the last few days, I'm sorry."

"Well, how about we go out to dinner tomorrow night, just like old times? We could both use a break."

"I don't know…" Kara hesitated.

"Come on, just you and me. We can get potstickers," Lena said excitedly. She hoped that Kara would say yes. She missed her best friend. She got Alex's text and figured that work wasn't the place to address such an issue. She would take Kara out and explain everything, including the feelings she had tried to keep locked away.

Kara looked at Lena, she looked so excited and Kara knew whatever protest she could come up with would be a lost cause. She couldn't say no to her. "Well, I can't possibly say no to potstickers."

"Perfect, so tomorrow at eight. If you cancel I will hunt you down and drag you out with me, got it?" Lena tried to give her best serious face, but the excitement she felt couldn't be contained.

"Got it, boss."

Kara tried to turn back to her computer before Lena spoke up again.

"And Kara?"

"Yes?"

"You know how special you are to me, right? You are my best friend." Lena gave Kara a sheepish smile. She needed Kara to know how important she was to her even if the thought of putting herself out there was embarrassing.

"I know," Kara replied. She hated that her voice sounded so sad. She hoped Lena didn't notice.

"I hope to see that smile tomorrow," Lena gave her a shy smile and walked away.

Kara watched her leave and gave her back a soft smile. Once Lena was out of sight, Kara sighed and shook her head. Tomorrow was going to be a rough one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After finishing her article, Kara took off towards the DEO. She wanted to check for any updates regarding the L-Corp warehouse. She found J'onn right away and got down to business. He explained that he talked with Lena about the warehouse and she had no idea they were expecting a shipment. He read her thoughts just to make sure. He mentioned that Lena would do a little investigating into her company. He advised her to keep Sam out of the loop for safety purposes and she informed him that she would proceed with caution.

Once she left the DEO, Kara flew her way to Lena's. She needed to apologize for being so distant earlier. She knew that she wasn't being fair. Her jealousy should not be getting in the way of her relationship with both her sister and Lena. If they were happy, she would force herself to be happy too.

As Kara neared the penthouse she heard the quickening of Lena's heartbeat. She flew a little faster and used her super hearing to make sure Lena wasn't in danger. Ever since she heard about the warehouse she had been on high alert. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Faster, Lena," Kara's eyes widened as she heard Alex's voice. What was her sister doing there?

"How's that?"

"Good, little harder."

"I don't want to hurt you," Kara heard Lena reply.

"You won't, trust me. Harder." Alex convinced. Kara could hear the rapid intake of breath and something pounding repeatedly.

"Like this?" Lena asked out of breath. She had a strange feeling about this. She stopped abruptly when she heard a grunt and listened to the pair of racing hearts. Kara's eyes widened exponentially. Were they doing what she thought they were doing?

"Yes, use your fist," Kara's jaw dropped and she quickly flew away before she heard anything else.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure I am doing this right?" Lena asked. "I haven't exactly had this kind of training before."

"You need to be able to protect yourself, come on." Alex held up the boxing pads again. "What if someone went after you?"

Lena gave her a dry look, "Alex, that happens every day and I have managed just fine."

Alex rolled her eyes. She needed Lena to learn this stuff for her own safety. "What if someone went after Kara?"

Lena took a deep breath and focused. She held up her covered hands and gave Alex a determined look. "Okay, let's go." She knew she would do whatever she needed to, to protect the blonde.

She reared her covered fist back and hit the boxing pads that Alex was holding up, both women oblivious to the heart broken Super flying away.


	4. Chapter 4

Kara heard the knocking on her door and peaked her head out of the pile of blankets she was hiding under. She had spent the last day moping over the knowledge that she would never be with Lena. If it was anyone else, Kara would be fighting for the affections of the brunette. This wasn't anyone else though, this was her sister. She couldn't do anything to upset her sister, especially after the loss of Maggie. She looked around the room at the empty ice cream cartons and the sad romantic movies scattered on the floor. _Rao_ , Kara thought, _when did I become such a cliché_. She looked towards the door and used her x-ray vision to see who was bothering her.

Lena.

Kara forgot all about their dinner. She sped quickly to the door and took a deep breath as she tried to smooth out her pajamas. She flattened her hair and grabbed her glasses before opening the door.

"Lena," she in fake-cheer.

"Hi Kara," Lena said happily. The wide smile on her face quickly vanished when she took in the sight of her best friend. "I know the restaurant is casual, but I don't think they meant pajama-casual."

Kara let out a little laugh, "About that… I am feeling a little bit under the weather. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier and you had to drive all the way here."

"Oh," Lena let out, disappointed. She tried to school her features to seem less bothered. "That's okay, did you want me to bring you soup or some medicine? I can go really quick."

Kara noticed the disappointment immediately and felt guilty, "You know what? I think I'm feeling a little better. Why don't I get changed really quick and we can go?"

"Are you sure?" Lena's face broke out with a hopeful smile.

"Absolutely." Kara saw the light return to Lena's eyes and promised herself that she would do anything to keep it there. If she couldn't be with Lena romantically, then she would be the best friend she could possibly be. "Make yourself at home, I'll only be a few minutes."

Lena nodded and headed to the living room. She paused when she noticed all the ice cream and sad movies. "Uh, Kara?" Lena called out.

"Yeah?" Kara answered from the bedroom.

"Are you going through a break up I didn't know about?"

Kara paused what she was doing and racked her mind quickly for an excuse. "Uh," she drawled trying to by herself some time, "N-no, I was uh, just doing some research!"

"Research? Really?"

"Yes! About the best movies to watch during a break-up," Kara was trying to quickly get dressed. She was hopping on one foot trying to put on her pants. She rolled her eyes at herself, you would think having super powers meant she would do things a little more gracefully.

"Why exactly?"

"Oh, you know, for an article I'm writing."

"You do know that I know about every article being published by CatCo, right?"

"How are you liking CatCo so far?" Kara asked trying to change the subject. She just had to put her hair up and then she was ready to go.

"Nice segue," Lena chuckled to herself.

Catching on to the subject change and the blonde's desire not to talk about whatever she was going through Lena obliged, "I like it. I always like learning new things and it doesn't hurt that I get to spend more time with you."

Kara smiled as she walked back out into the living room. "All set." She stepped into the room wearing her favorite blue button up with her tight burgundy pants. And of course, no outfit was complete without her brown loafers.

Lena raked her eyes over Kara from head to toe and back again. She noticed Kara's shirt pulling at the arms and gulped. If she was going to admit her feelings for Kara tonight she figured she could start now. Kara tried to fight the shiver that was running through her body at the sight of Lena checking her out. She bit her lip and brought a hand up to fix her glasses.

"Beautiful," Lena whispered.

"Th-Thank you," Kara stuttered out. To say she was flustered was an understatement. She couldn't help, but feel guilty though. She shouldn't be having these moments with Lena. Lena and Alex were together and she needed to respect that. She tried to calm herself and quickly walked to the door.

Lena smirked at the reaction she was getting out of Kara. Maybe Alex wasn't wrong about Kara after all. Kara's reaction gave her the courage to be bolder. Lena placed her hand on the small of Kara's back as they headed out the door.

They decided to walk to the restaurant since it was only a few blocks away.

"Thank you," Lena said shyly as they walked out of the building.

"What for?"

"I know you didn't want to come tonight," Lena said with a grimace.

"Lena, I did," Kara tried to reassure. When did things become so complicated between them?

"Kara, you don't have to deny it, but I am glad you decided to come. I have missed you."

"I'll always come for you, Lena."

Lena's eyes widened and she fought the urge to smile. Kara noticed her reaction and thought about what she had just said. Realizing the double entendre, she backpedaled immediately. "Uh, what I meant to say was not c-come in, you know, that sense. I mean not that I wouldn't because I'm sure you could make me – oh my – not that I think about you making me come. I mean – ,"

"Kara?"

"Yes," Kara whined in embarrassment. She covered her face with her hands. She was already regretting this decision.

"I know what you meant." Lena reached up to remove Kara's hands.

"I'll just shut up now," Kara said. She smiled sheepishly at Lena, but it turned into a real smile when she heard the giggle the brunette just released. Lena immediately covered her mouth when she let out the cutest sound Kara had ever heard. "Was that a giggle?"

"No," Lena said with her mouth still covered. Kara nudged Lena's shoulder with her own.

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure I just heard Lena Luthor, billionaire CEO, let out the cutest giggle I have ever heard."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Lena said. She figured it was her turn to tease Kara a little more. "You think I'm cute?"

"Wha – n-no!" Kara stuttered. She had to keep reminding herself that Lena was with Alex and the teasing and flirting they had going on shouldn't be happening. She reprimanded herself for letting her guard down.

Lena noticed the change in Kara and immediately frowned. One of her favorite things about her relationship with Kara was the way they could tease each other.

"So, I think we should talk," Lena blurted out. She internally cursed herself. She was hoping to make it to the restaurant first, but noticing the change in Kara pushed her to speak.

"What about?"

"Me and Alex," Lena said turning to face Kara. She noticed that Kara had stiffened immediately and knew this conversation was delicate.

"Oh," Kara choked out. She didn't want to have this talk, it was hard enough already. "That's really not necessary."

"I think it is," Lena pulled at Kara's arm and situated them along the wall of a store. She wanted to have this conversation in private, but she just couldn't wait. If she didn't do this now she never would.

"I understand you guys are together. I'm happy for you," Kara forced out. Lena studied Kara's features and fought the urge to laugh at the look on Kara's face.

"It would be more believable if you didn't look like you were physically in pain when you said it, but that's besides the point." She reached to take Kara's hand. "Alex and I are not together."

"You don't have to hide it from me, Lena." Kara saw the facts. She knew that her sister and Lena were dating. Why did they keep lying to her?

"Kara, I swear to you, there is nothing going on between me and your sister. We have just been getting together to have a few drinks and last night she taught me some self-defense moves, that's it."

"Self-defense?"

"Yes, Kara. She heard about some strange shipment to one of my warehouses and was worried. There is nothing romantic going on between us, if anything she is like an annoying older sister to me." Kara studied Lena's face and noticed immediately that she was telling the truth.

"Oh," Kara said. She reached her hand up to fix her glasses in embarrassment. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting together?"

"We were discussing some sensitive topics," Lena stated vaguely. She could tell Kara wasn't understanding and took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing_ , she thought. "She was dealing with the loss of Maggie and I was trying to come to terms with my feelings for someone."

"For who?" Kara asked hopefully, maybe she did have a chance.

"For you, Kara." Lena locked eyes with the blonde hoping to convey how serious she was. She needed Kara to know how she felt about her.

"Me?" Kara looked at Lena with wide-eyes and a gaping mouth. Was she really this lucky?

"Yes." Lena's heart sunk as she noticed the shocked look on Kara's face and immediately offered her a reprieve. "I understand if you don't feel the same way, I hope this doesn't get in the way of our friendship."

"Lena, no." Kara stepped closer to Lena and gently cupped her cheek. She noticed the way Lena's eyes were sparkling. "I have spent the last few days absolutely miserable because I thought I lost my chance. I thought I ran out of time and I don't want to waste another second of it." They held eye contact, smiling so hard that their cheeks were beginning to ache. Kara stroked the brunette's cheek with her thumb and with a burst of courage she leaned forward. "Can I – I mean would it be okay if I –,"

"Kara, please just kiss me," Lena was on the verge of begging. If she didn't get to kiss Kara now she thought she would explode. Kara smiled and seeing no hesitation, moved to connect their lips.

"Well, well, well," a voice drawled. Lena and Kara both spun on their heels at the sound of the gravely voice. They squinted their eyes trying to recognize the dark figure looming in the shadows of the alley. Both angrier than they would care to admit at their first kiss being interrupted.

"Who are you?" Lena shouted. She moved to stand protectively in front of Kara. The blonde felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She knew Lena would try and protect them both because she didn't know that Kara was Supergirl.

"Who, me?"

"Yes, you. What do you want?"

From behind Lena, Kara pulled down her glasses a small amount to check the surrounding area for others. She didn't see anyone else. However, she did notice that the man had a gun behind his back.

"I'm a friend and I've been told to give you a message Miss Luthor," the man chuckled darkly to himself.

"A warning from who?"

"From my boss, I'm sure you won't need your high IQ to figure it out."

"Lex," Lena whispered.

"Ah, there you go. If only he could see you now," he said harshly as he looked between her and Kara.

"What does he want?"

"Just to make you aware of who your friends really are." He locked eyes with Kara and gave her a vicious smirk. Kara closed her eyes, _this was it_.

"What does that mean?" Lena asked, confusedly.

"Why don't you ask her?" He lifted his hand to point at Kara.

Lena tilted her head to the side without taking her eyes off the man in front of her, "Kara?"

Kara opened her mouth to answer as they watched the man pull out the gun he was holding behind his back. Lena closed her eyes and prepared herself for the pain that was sure to come. If she had to die protecting Kara she knew it would be worth it.

She heard Kara whisper in her ear before the sound of gunshots rang out, "I'm sorry."

"Kara, NO!" Lena screamed as she tried to keep Kara behind her, but it was too late. Kara moved quickly in front of Lena with her back facing the gunman. She wrapped her arms around Lena, so she was completely covered. She felt the bullets ricocheting off her back as she locked eyes with a crying brunette. Kara could see the fear in Lena's eyes as her hands gripped the front of her shirt.

"Please don't move," Kara begged. She felt the tears gather in her eyes. She had no idea what would happen to them now. She knew the gunman was only aiming for her, but now Lena knew that she had been lying to her.

Kara waited for the bullets to stop flying before she swiftly turned and knocked the gunman out. Kara felt the breeze through her clothes from the bullet holes. She turned to the wide-eyed brunette and took a deep breath. She took a cautious step forward and her heart clenched when Lena took a step back.

"Lena, please. I need to get you out of here. We don't know if there are more coming," Kara held up her hands in surrender trying to prove that she didn't mean Lena any harm. "I promise I won't hurt you."

"Y-You're her," Lena whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

"Lena. I can explain I promise, but we need to get you out of here." Kara knew they needed to move quickly. She was sure the gunshots would be drawing a crowd any second.

The brunette felt like she was looking at a stranger in front of her. "Take me home," Lena demanded in a whisper.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Kara said. She knew that if there were more of this guy that the first place they would look would be Lena's penthouse.

"Take me home," Lena said louder.

"Okay, can you hold on to me?"

Kara stepped in front of Lena and held out a hand. Kara could tell that Lena took her hand reluctantly and tried to keep the dread from filling her. Kara lifted Lena into her arms. If this was any other time she would revel in the feeling of the brunette against her, but right now she couldn't. Right now, she had to get them to safety. She could tell Lena's thoughts were racing. "Okay, ready?" Kara asked. When Lena nodded she took off slowly into the sky. Luckily the alley was dark enough that no one took notice. She felt Lena hold her tighter in fear the higher they flew in the sky. "I won't drop you, I promise."

They both remained silent the rest of the way to the penthouse. Once Kara set Lena down on the balcony, the brunette took off into the house.

Kara watched silently as Lena paced back and forth throughout the living room. She decided to keep quiet to allow Lena to gather her thoughts, but after five minutes the suspense was killing her.

"Lena –," Kara didn't get to finish before Lena spun around and glared at her.

"I thought we were best friends." Kara took notice of the tears that were streaming down her best friends' face. She never wanted to hurt her. Hurting Lena was the last thing she would ever want to do.

"We are, Lena," Kara said. She moved to step towards the CEO. She wanted to reach out and hold her. She wanted to wrap her arms around Lena and convince Lena, and herself, that they would be okay.

"How could we possibly be best friends if I have no idea who you are? You have been lying to me this whole time!" Lena shouted.

"You know me Lena, you know the real me," Kara got out through tears.

"You know, I spent my whole life wondering if people were only friends with me because of my money or to get close to me for some evil plot. I finally thought I found someone who liked me just for me."

"I do like you for you, Lena. This was never about that."

"So, it had absolutely nothing to do with my last name?"

"Well, at first it did, but –," Kara tried to explain.

"Get out," Lena demanded.

"Lena, please, just listen," Kara begged. She needed Lena to understand.

"Kara, please just leave. I need time."

"Lena, I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you."

"Kara, just go." Lena took off for the front door. She gripped the handle tightly as she pulled the door open. She stood there staring at Kara expectantly. She couldn't think with Kara here. She needed time to process.

"Lena, you can ask me anything. I will answer anything!" Kara begged. She moved to the door. She knew that she would respect Lena's wishes, but she hoped that Lena would give her a chance to explain.

"Why would I ask you something if you can't even tell the truth?" Lena whispered, and Kara's heart sank.

"Please, just let me explain."

"I need a little time Kara and right now I wouldn't believe anything you have to say." Lena shut the door without another word.

Kara rested her head against the door, silent tears streaming down her face. She ruined everything. They were so close to happiness and it was destroyed in an instant.

On the other side of the door, Lena took off towards the kitchen. She reached her cupboards and pulled out a glass. She grabbed the scotch and poured a large amount. Lena brought the glass to her lips and downed the contents immediately. She made eye contact with herself in the mirror across the living room. With regret pouring through her veins, Lena threw her glass at the mirror letting out a loud sob. When it shattered, she sunk to the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. She tried to hold herself together, but the tears just wouldn't stop coming. She knew she had made a mistake. She knew that she should have let Kara explain. She was just too scared to hear the truth. She was in love with Kara, what if everything had been a lie?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kara flew from Lena's penthouse straight into the arms of her sister. She buried her head in Alex's neck as the sobs racked her body. Alex had never seen her sister so broken.

"Hey, Kar. What happened? Talk to me." Alex moved them gently over to the couch. Kara cuddled into her side as she tried to calm down.

"Th-there was a gunman," Kara began to explain when her sobs quieted. "He – He told Lena that Lex wanted her to know who her friends were. He shot at us. I had to protect her. She found out that I'm Supergirl. She was so angry, I –," Kara broke down in tears again and Alex tried to pull her closer.

"Oh, Kara. I'm so sorry."

"You – You need to go to her. She needs someone to keep her safe. Please."

Alex shook her head in protest. "You need me, Kara. You are my sister. I can send someone else."

"No, Lena needs a friend. Please, Alex," Kara begged.

"Okay, I'll go. Go home, I'll try and convince her to come see you."

Kara nodded sadly. Alex brought her hands up to gently wipe away Kara's tears. She hated seeing her so upset. Alex grabbed her gun and gave Kara a hug before she took off. She would need to fix this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena lost track of time as the tears continued to streak down her face. She had been sitting in the same position ever since Kara left. She was sure she looked pathetic.

"Lena," the brunette heard from the other side of the door. "Come on Lena, open up!"

"Come in," her voice sounded scratchy. She was sure Alex would know immediately that she had been crying. She tried to wipe her tears away, but eventually gave up. She knew Kara must have went straight to Alex.

Alex softly opened the door after hearing Lena's voice. She saw the light on in the kitchen, but couldn't see her. She walked around the island before encountering the CEO. "Oh, Lee," Alex said softly. To say Lena looked awful was an understatement. Her eyes were completely bloodshot, she had tear tracks down her cheeks highlighted by the mascara she was wearing. Her lips looked swollen from crying and she seemed paler than usual. To Alex, Lena looked completely broken, something she and Kara had in common.

"You knew. You lied to me," Lena whispered. Alex noticed that Lena wouldn't look at her. She moved to sit down next to Lena on the kitchen floor.

"I didn't lie to you, Lena."

"You omitted the truth, same difference!" Lena screamed. She finally made eye contact with Alex.

"Lena, it wasn't my secret to tell!" Alex yelled back. She could see the pain and fear in her friend's eyes.

"I thought that I meant something to her. I thought we were finally getting somewhere. We almost kissed."

Alex's eyebrows shot up at that last statement. Kara seemed to have left out that detail. "You mean the world to her."

"I slammed the door in her face, Al." Lena buried her face in her hands. She was ashamed of herself. "Even if I did talk to her, why would she want to talk to me? I find out this huge thing and I handled it horribly. No wonder she didn't tell me."

Alex grabbed Lena's hand and made sure the brunette was looking at her. "Your feelings are valid, Lee. She kept something important from you for a long time. You have every right to be upset."

Lena let out a dark chuckle. "You don't have to coddle me, Alex. I can admit when I've made a mistake. Terrifying as that is."

"Okay fine, she also had a right to her secret. To her identity. She doesn't owe anybody anything." Alex could understand both sides of the situation. She understood that her sister didn't owe her secret to anyone, but she also sympathized with Lena. She couldn't imagine finding out something like this about Maggie, it would crush her.

"What did I do?" Lena whispered. She felt her eyes watering with tears once again. "I didn't even give her a chance to explain."

"Kara has spent her whole life hiding who she is. I think she has told one person her secret willingly, and that was when she first came out as Supergirl. She has struggled her whole life to fit in. You are the one person she can just be Kara with. You don't expect her to be this strong and invulnerable woman, she can just be herself. I don't think it was wrong of her to hang onto that, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Why did you really freak out?" Alex asked. She knew there must be more to this than Kara keeping a secret.

"My whole life everyone has had an ulterior motive for getting close to me. Everyone always lies and I end up losing the people that mean the most to me. I have never really had a true friend, someone who likes me for me. I thought I had that in Kara, then –," Lena tried to fight back a sob.

"Then tonight you find out she is the cousin of your brother's greatest enemy," Alex finished.

"I thought that maybe the girl I had grown to love had only been pretending. I didn't give her a chance to explain because I was terrified of the truth."

"Kara isn't that type of person, deep down you know that."

"I do, but up until a few hours ago I didn't know that my best friend had super powers. I feel like I don't know her anymore."

"You know her. The girl you have been friends with? That was all real. I promise you."

Lena searched Alex's face looking for a lie, but she couldn't find one. She let out a sigh. "I just wish I could turn back time and stop reacting out of fear and anger."

"I know, Lee."

"I love her, Alex. I've never felt for anyone the way I feel for Kara. God, it makes me feel like I can do anything. It makes me feel strong again, like I don't have to be afraid." This was the first time Lena had admitted out loud how much Kara meant to her. She wished it was under better circumstances, but the feeling of finally saying it out loud was liberating.

Alex smiled at Lena, she knew the pair of them would be great together. "Go to her then. It's you, Lee. She will always open the door for you."

"I don't know," Lena hesitated.

"Do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Most definitely," Alex reassured.

"Okay, I'll go to her," Lena said resolutely. "Wish me luck."

"I would, but you don't need it. It's Kara. She loves you."

"I hope you are right," Lena said as they both moved to get up. The CEO gripped the counter and groaned as she tried to straighten her legs. She must have spent longer than she thought on the ground.

"I am always right," Alex said with a smirk. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and took it out to reveal a text from J'onn. Apparently, they had some information on the warehouse. "I just got a text from work, so I have to go. I'll see you next week Luthor. Have your driver take you, okay? Stay safe and let me know how it goes."

"Yes ma'am," Lena said with a nod and a salute. When Alex stepped over the threshold Lena called out, "And Alex? I know that I have a true friend in you, too."

Alex gave her a smile, "Always, Lena. You're stuck with me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After trying to make herself look presentable, Lena took off towards Kara's apartment. She spent the whole drive there trying to figure out what to say. She was moving on autopilot, too lost in her own thoughts. When she stopped in front of the apartment door she realized that she still couldn't come up with anything good enough to earn Kara's forgiveness.

Lena took a deep breath and brought a tentative hand up to knock on the door.

"Kara? Kara, are you home?"

She couldn't hear any movement inside. She thought that maybe Kara was ignoring her. She rested her forehead gently against the door.

"Listen," Lena began. "If you are in there, please know I am sorry. I'm so sorry, Kara. I should have let you explain. I was just afraid. I know you would never keep something like this from me if you didn't have a reason. Honestly, if I was in the same position I would be extremely careful too. I'll be here when you are ready. I will always be here. You're my best friend, Kara. I don't know what I would do without you. Please, forgive me."

Lena listened for a few more moments before letting out a sigh. She slid down to the ground and waited. She knew she would wait all night if she had to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Unfortunately, the blonde she was trying to reach wasn't in there.

A few miles away an explosion shook the L-Corp warehouse. Green smoke billowed from the walls as the building was destroyed and a tattered body fell to the ground in a messy heap. DEO agents, led by a frightened Alex, raced into the warehouse attempting to find the superhero underneath the rubble.


	6. Chapter 6

Alex gave the brunette a smile, "Always, Lena. You're stuck with me."

The agent quickly stepped out of the penthouse and took out her phone. She dialed the number for the DEO and heard J'onn answer immediately.

"Hi, it's Alex. What's going on? I'm on my way."

She quickly took off towards the elevator.

"Winn discovered something regarding the shipment to L-Corp. It's a bomb, Alex, and from the extremely high levels of radiation that it was emitting we are guessing it's a big one. I have assembled a team to infiltrate. Whoever is in there needs to be stopped."

"Yes, sir. Have you called –," Alex tried to ask.

"Your sister has been notified. She is flying here as we speak."

"Oh, okay." Alex said, halfheartedly. She made her way to the parking garage and worked to put on her helmet.

"Is there a problem, Agent Danvers?" J'onn asked noticing the change in demeanor.

"No, no problem. It's just - I'm worried that her head might not be on straight."

"We need her. Make sure her head is clear before we do this."

"Yes, sir. I'll be there soon." Alex hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. She hopped on the back of her motorcycle and took off. On her way there she realized that Lena would be headed to Kara's apartment soon. She shook her head, Lena would have to wait. They had a bomb to stop.

When she entered the DEO she was bombarded with the hustle of her fellow agents preparing for the mission. She quickly took off towards the command center where she found Winn and Kara immersed in conversation.

"Kara, can we talk for a second?" Alex said when she reached the pair.

"Sure, what's up?" Kara looked to her and smiled.

Alex grabbed Kara's arm and led her to a hallway where they could have more privacy.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay," Kara said. Alex could tell that was a lie. She noticed the puffy eyes and the torment of emotions her sister was facing.

"Kara, you don't have to close yourself off from me." Alex squeezed Kara's hand and watched as the blonde closed her eyes. Kara took a deep breath as if trying to calm herself from the anguish going on inside her.

"I know. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk to you the last week. I got the wrong idea about you and Lena and it made me upset, but Alex," Kara paused. "Right now, I can't think about any of that. I need to shut everything off so I can help you guys. I can't afford to break right now, none of us can." Kara spent the better part of the night sobbing into her pillow. She didn't know how she was going to be without Lena. She couldn't stop reminding herself that they were so close to happiness, so close to finally being together.

"Alright, I understand. You know you're my favorite sister though, right? And when we kick some ass I'm going to be here for you when you let go of the wall you are holding up."

"I know," Kara said. She truly was grateful for her sister. They heard J'onn calling them for a meeting. The sisters took off towards the main room and got down to business.

"Alright, here is what we know so far. L-Corp has a warehouse a few miles outside of National City. Since Miss Luthor has no idea where the suspicious shipment came from we are assuming Lex Luthor has something to do with this. Winn picked up high radiation signatures from the warehouse and we are to believe that a bomb is inside. We will infiltrate the warehouse and disable the bomb before they have a chance to harm any civilians. I want us to get ahead of this mess." J'onn looked around at his agents nodding back."We are to proceed with extreme caution, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," the agents responded collectively. They disbursed from there. Alex and Kara separated with a head nod and took off to their respective posts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the drive to the warehouse, agents got their weapons ready for a fight.

Kara scanned the outside of the warehouse. All in all, the building looked pretty average to her. She knew that this situation would be different so she quickly came up with a game plan and hoped the rest of her team played along.

"Let me go in and secure the area. Once I give the all clear, DEO agents can enter and figure out how to diffuse the bomb," Supergirl declared.

J'onn nodded, impressed that Supergirl was taking charge, and quickly repeated the directive to the rest of the agents.

"Be careful," Alex said.

"Always am," Kara reminded her. She took off into the sky. Supergirl entered the warehouse through the back. She used her x-ray vision to search for Lex's men. When she couldn't find any, she sought to locate the bomb. She found the explosive at the center of the warehouse, but upon closer inspection noticed a large lead box in the middle.

"I found it," she said over the comm. "But, there seems to be something encased in lead. I can't see through it."

"Why would they have something encased in lead?" Winn muttered to himself back at the DEO. He went over everything they knew so far and his eyes grew wide. If the bomb is made from a completely different metal, the only reason to encase something in lead would be to –

"It's a trap! They knew we were coming," Winn quickly stated. He knew this was too easy. "Supergirl, GET OUT OF THERE! GET OUT NOW!" Winn shouted over the comms. Kara's eyes grew wide and she quickly took flight, but it was too late. The explosive went off and Kara was caught. She let out a sharp scream of pain as the Kryptonite hit her.

Alex watched from outside the warehouse as an explosion tore through it. Green smoke billowed from the walls and the building collapsed.

"SUPERGIRL!" Alex felt the words being ripped from her throat. She took off in a sprint as she watched the hazy green smoke surround her. She heard the stampede of boots from fellow agents running to catch up with her. When she entered the wreckage she began lifting rocks of cement, the adrenaline giving her a burst of extra strength. She heard J'onn's voice shouting at her from behind, but she was too focused on finding Kara to listen.

She found a sliver of red through the pile of rubble and quickly dropped to her knees to start digging.

"Kara!" Alex yelled. She tried to clear off her body as much as she could. She finally uncovered Kara's face and gasped at what she saw. Dark blood trickled down Kara's features from a large gash on her head. Her face was covered in a film of gray dust from the heavy cement. Alex quickly checked for a pulse, but couldn't find one. "No," Alex cried. Large tears fell from her face and mixed with the blood on her sister.

She quickly set to work on performing CPR. She tilted Kara's head back and quickly breathed into her mouth. She pressed on the blonde's chest and willed her heart to start beating. "Come on," Alex screamed. She felt the panic spread through her as she stared at her sister's face. "You aren't leaving me. Fight, Kara!" She kept up a steady pace of compressions before dropping to breathe into Kara once more. "Please, Kara," Alex whispered in desperation. She let out a sob as she felt Kara's bones cracking underneath the heavy pressure of her hands.

Alex felt a hand on her shoulder, but couldn't bring herself to look away. She heard a voice calling out to her, but she didn't know who it was.

"Alex!" She finally heard shouted through the chaos. J'onn was on his knees beside her with a solemn expression. He gently pulled her back and got into position. "Let me help," he said softly. He took over compressions as Alex continued with the breathing. She kept mumbling in Kara's ear begging her to stay.

"Please, don't leave me, Kara. I can't lose you," Alex choked out between sobs. She closed her eyes willing this to be a nightmare. She ran her fingers through Kara's knotted hair as she waited for the signal to breathe once more.

"Come on, Kara," J'onn begged. He choked back the lump in his throat and fought the tears that were building in his eyes. He should have never let her go in alone. He reached to check Kara's pulse, again, begging to whatever higher power that she was alive.

Alex felt like she was surrounded by a cloud of numbness, looking on as her sister's heart remained still. It was like everything around them was quieted. Everything was at a standstill. Alex and J'onn failed to notice the agents surrounding them. Each agent wore a grave expression looking on as their superiors fought to save the city's hero.

"I got a pulse," J'onn shouted. Just like that, the air became charged. Alex snapped her head up to look at him. She wanted to believe him, but she couldn't until she checked for herself. She moved her fingers quickly to Kara's pulse point and let out a sob in relief when she felt the faint heart beat against her fingers. She quickly threw herself on top of Kara and sobbed into her neck. Alex felt J'onn's hands quickly pull her back once more.

"I'm going to fly her back to the DEO. She needs medical help right away. Get a ride back to headquarters, you can't drive like this, Alex."

Alex locked eyes with J'onn and pointed to her head. He got the message and his eyes glowed bright red. He gave Alex a nod after reading her thoughts and quickly spoke over the comm to Winn.

"Agent Schott, I need you to pick up Miss Luthor and bring her to the DEO. She is at Supergirl's residence."

"Yes, sir," Winn said. He had heard everything through the comm and was frightened for his best friend. Although he wished to stay at the DEO, he knew that Lena needed to be there.

Alex watched as J'onn transformed and lifted an unconscious, battered Kara into his arms. He gave the agent one final nod before calling out to the rest of them.

"I need you all to stay here. Find out what happened and how the hell we missed this." With that final command, J'onn took off into the sky and sped to the DEO.

An agent guided Alex to one of their SUV's and set off towards headquarters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been about half an hour since Lena has gotten to Kara's apartment and she was starting to question whether Kara was in there or not. She debated leaving, but banged her head lightly against the wall in reprimand. There was no way she was leaving Kara.

"L-Lena," Winn whispered. He arrived only moments ago. He had no idea how he was going to tell Lena that Kara was in critical condition. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the hallway knowing that what he said next was going to shatter the Luthor.

Lena spun her head to face the computer whiz. She noticed his puffy eyes and nervous demeanor. Immediately, she knew something was wrong.

"Winn? What are you doing here?" Lena said as she moved to stand.

"Something happened. Alex needs you at the DEO," Winn replied quietly. Lena's thoughts immediately went to Kara. If Alex needed her then something bad must have happened.

"Where is Kara?" Lena choked out.

"I'm sorry, Lena." Winn moved to step closer, but Lena stepped back in protest. She was too anxious to be comforted.

"Winn, where is Kara?" Lena repeated. She felt her fear rising the longer he withheld an answer.

"There was an explosion," Winn tried to explain. "A large amount of Kryptonite was infused with the bomb. It went off when Kara was in the building. When they found her she wasn't breathing."

"Is she –," Lena couldn't finish the thought over the lump in her throat. Her eyes welled with tears and she gripped the wall for support.

"She is alive," Winn quickly reassured. "They took her to the DEO. It doesn't look good. Alex told me to come get you just in case. I'm so sorry, Lena."

"Please, please just take me to her," Lena muttered. She felt the tears starting to leak from her eyes. If anything happened to Kara she didn't know how she would survive. She thought about the last interaction they had and a sob ripped through her. She felt her legs start to give out underneath her, but was stopped when a strong arm wrapped around her. Lena blinked back the spots clouding her vision.

She locked eyes with Winn as her tears kept falling. Winn watched as Lena's hands moved to wipe angrily at her tears. He knew she was angry at herself for showing such emotion to an acquaintance.

Lena took in a steady breath trying to calm herself. She needed to get to Kara. She needed to see her. Winn led them the rest of the way to his car. He opened the door for Lena and quickly got in. He started the car and swiftly took off. They both remained silent, tears pouring down their faces, the rest of the way to the DEO.


	7. Chapter 7

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Unmoving, Alex stared blankly at her sister. It had been about an hour since they returned from the warehouse. An hour since Kara's heart stopped beating. She let her eyes roam over her sister checking for the slightest hint of pain or discomfort. When she arrived at the DEO she found doctors trying to intubate her. She looked on with tears pouring down her face. Once they helped Kara to breathe they put her in a sun bed hoping to rid the blonde of the Kryptonite coursing through her veins.

Alex had remained at her side ever since. After finding a washcloth, she gently tried to wipe the blood from Kara's face and began to stich her up. She tried not to think about what would happen if she lost her sister, she honestly couldn't stomach the thought. She fought the urge to vomit when she realized how close she was to spending the rest of her days without her best friend. Losing Maggie and Kara, both? Well, that pain would be unimaginable.

She faintly heard J'onn directing orders to the agents in the command center, but couldn't understand what he was saying. It wasn't until she heard footsteps running down the hallway that she quickly stood up.

Alex watched as a teary-eyed Lena ran through the door. She didn't have time to prepare herself before she was incased in a strong hug. Once Lena was in her arms she felt the CEO's legs give out. They both sank to their knees as their sobs began. Alex pulled Lena tighter to her, both hanging on to the person they felt held the closest connection to Kara.

Lena looked over Alex's shoulder at her best friend and felt her heart drop. She had never seen the blonde look so fragile. She noticed the stitches on her face and the blood staining her hair. Lena let her eyes wander to the large machines surrounding her and the intubation tube entering Kara's mouth. The girl in the Super suit had never looked so helpless. She closed her eyes tightly willing the image to disappear.

They stayed wrapped in each other's arms for a long while before their sobs subsided.

"She is going to be just fine," Alex consoled her. She rubbed her hand gently along Lena's back trying to provide comfort.

Eventually, Lena pulled away. "What happened, Alex? Winn told me the basics, but I don't understand."

"We went to infiltrate the warehouse. When we got there, it was decided that Kara would go in first to make sure the area was clear. While she was in there examining the bomb, Winn deduced that it was a trap. We tried to warn her, but it was too late. They must have been watching."

"If – If she doesn't make it –"

"She will," Alex interrupted.

"But, if she doesn't," Lena urged. "The last time we talked I slammed the door in her face. I told her that I would never believe what she had to say. I told her to get out, Al."

"She is going to be fine, Lena. Kara is a fighter. You and I both know that she will do whatever it takes to come back to you."

Lena hesitantly reached over and grasped Kara's hand. She tried not to grip too tightly, but she was clinging to Kara as much as she could. Alex walked over to Kara's other side and gripped her other hand. They stood there in silence both clinging to Kara, hoping that she made a quick recovery.

Lena kept looking over at Alex nervously. She wanted to talk to Kara, but felt that what she had to say was too private. She didn't know how to ask Alex to leave though. She had more of a right to be here than Lena did. Alex noticed that Lena kept looking at her and gave her a small smile. She understood what Lena wanted.

"Why don't I leave you alone for a few minutes? I need to check in with J'onn anyways. I'll be right outside if you need me."

"Thank you."

Lena watched Alex leave before turning back to Kara. She watched her closely, willing her eyes to open.

"Oh, Kara," Lena began. "I'm so sorry. I should have never gotten so angry with you. I understand why you kept your secret. I was scared. I was scared that everything we shared was a lie. You know me, you know I'm not the best at handling these types of things. I have faced so much betrayal in my life, I just -," Lena paused. "I got scared that the person I loved more than anything in this world had betrayed me too."

"Please wake up. Come back to me," Lena pleaded. She reached up a hand and softly stroked Kara's tattered cheek. "You have to wake up. You have to wake up and forgive me. You have to wake up so I can ask you on a date. I already had the whole thing planned, I have for ages. Although, I might have to add a destination to my list. I want you, Kara. More than anything in this world. When I moved to National City, I never thought I would meet someone like you. Yet, there you were. You were this quirky shadow following Clark Kent and you blew me away the first time I saw you. From that moment on, I knew you would be so damn special to me."

Lena took a deep breath trying to control the tears that began pouring down her face. She struggled to remain in control of her emotions. Kara was the one person who could make her feel so unhinged. "You have to wake up, Kara. I need you. I thought we had all the time in the world."

"I can't wait to share our first kiss. I can't wait to hold your hand as we walk down the street. I can't wait to show everyone how much I love you. I can't wait to start, Kara. Please, don't make me wait," Lena finished before bringing a shaky hand to cover her mouth. She fought the sob building in her throat.

She bent down slowly and placed a gentle kiss on Kara's forehead. Lena lifted her face two inches before quietly whispering, "I love you, Kara. Come back to me." She gently wiped away a tear drop that fell on Kara's skin. Lena turned to grab a chair and positioned herself as close to Kara as possible.

She reached for Kara's hand once again and softly stroked her thumb over the smooth skin. Lena studied Kara's face lost in her own thoughts. It was safe to say that Lena blamed herself for what happened. Kara probably didn't have her head on straight because of her and this was her warehouse. This was her company, her family, her insane brother that did this to her. She didn't know how Kara would ever forgive her. She didn't know how Alex even allowed her to be here. She thought about the danger she continuously put Kara in and shook her head to try and get rid of the dark thoughts but they wouldn't go away. Worst case scenarios filled her head as she scanned Kara's beaten body. This was her fault. This was on her.

Lena felt her heart start to race. Her face became sweaty and her breathing was short. She closed her eyes trying to calm herself, but when she opened them and saw Kara lying there unconscious the panic returned. Kara would never forgive her. She tried to keep her breathing calm, but it was no use. Her eyes widened as she felt the coming attack. _No_ , she thought, _not here, not with people around_. She quickly stood from her chair. She needed to get out of her, fast. She took off running down the hallway in the hopes of making a quick exit.

Luckily, Alex saw Lena running past the command center and took off worriedly after her.

"Lena," Alex shouted. She ran down the corridor, but stopped abruptly. She lost her. She quickly looked down either hallway, but couldn't find her. It wasn't until she heard the gasps for air that she started running in the right direction.

Alex found Lena curled into a ball on the floor in one of the empty hallways. Her heart clenched as she noticed the panicked expression on her face. She quickly sat down next to the brunette, but left some room in between them. She knew Lena may need her space.

"I can't – I can't breathe," Lena gasped. She had her back resting against the wall trying to draw in enough air to speak.

"Lena, you have to calm down. You are going to hyperventilate." Alex moved to sit directly in front of Lena. She watched as the brunette sat there with her eyes wide open struggling to breathe. Lena shook her head clutching at her hands. Alex immediately recognized the cramping. While she never experienced it herself, she knew that hand cramping during anxiety attacks were extremely painful. She gently took Lena's hands and tried to smooth out the tension, but knew that her attempt was futile.

"Lena, it's okay. Come on, deep breaths," Alex tried again. Lena didn't seem to be paying attention lost in her own panic. Alex gently raised Lena's hand to her own chest. Alex put Lena's hand over her heart and noticed that Lena's eyes followed her. "Follow me. In – one, two, three. Out – one, two three. Nice and slow."

Lena nodded her head and tried to breathe with Alex. She followed the movement of Alex's chest and found her breathing slowly changing.

"Good, keep going," Alex encouraged. "I'm here for you, Lee."

"Kara will be just fine. Keep breathing." She watched as Lena's breathing slowed and felt a small smile cross her face. "Good."

They remained quiet for a few minutes. Lena was still reeling from the panic attack.

"I'm sorry," Lena whispered to break the silence. She kept her head down in shame, determined not to make eye contact. She felt horrible that Alex had to witness that.

Alex noticed her embarrassment and quickly went to reassure her. "Never apologize for stuff like this, got it?"

"Thank you," Lena said as she lifted her head. Alex grabbed one of Lena's hands, noticing that they were loosening up, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I said always yesterday and I meant it. Now come on," Alex encouraged while pulling Lena to stand. She settled Lena against the wall just in case she was still dizzy. When Lena got her bearings, Alex nudged her forward. "Let's go for a walk."

"But Kara –," Lena went to question.

"Kara will be there when we get back. I think you need some air. We can walk to the balcony." Alex led them away.

Lena nodded and followed her. To say she was embarrassed for her panic attack was an understatement. Growing up, Lena would get attacks like that often, but she always tried to make sure she was alone when she had them. She couldn't imagine how weak Lillian would think she was if she found her gasping for air over school projects and family life. Although having someone help her through one was something new, she finally felt like she had the support she always desired.

She followed Alex down the hallway and to the balcony. Once they stepped outside Lena felt the quick relief of the morning sun. She realized that it must have been hours since Kara left her penthouse earlier.

The women failed to notice the angry gentleman speeding towards them, nor the nervous Winn chasing after him.

"What is she doing here?" James spat out. Alex and Lena immediately turned around to face him. Lena took a step back as she noticed the glare James was shot her way. "Are you kidding me, Alex? Bringing her here? Are you trying to endanger us all?"

"I –," Lena tried to explain, but Alex wouldn't let her.

"I wanted her to be here and I'm sure Kara would want her here too," Alex stated matter-of-factly, daring him to say something. She folded her arms and glared right back.

"But she's a –," James tried.

"Don't finish that sentence. If you can't respect my decision then leave." Lena looked on awkwardly at the pair glaring at each other.

"Maybe you are forgetting that it was _her_ facility that stopped Kara's heart earlier." He shook his head at the women, "Unbelievable." Lena was about to speak up and say that she could leave, but James abruptly turned around and headed for the elevator.

"James –," Winn called out. They didn't need all this animosity while Kara was hurt.

"Let him go, Winn," Alex interrupted. "It's clear where he stands. If he won't stay to support Kara, then let him go." She turned to Lena to find her looking apprehensive. She hated that he had to come and created problems. She knew that if J'onn thought Lena was a threat in any way she would not be here. "Come on, Lena, let's go back to her room."

"Wait," Lena stopped her before turning to the tech genius. "Winn?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for bring me here," Lena stated. She gave him a small gracious smile and turned to follow Alex.

"You're welcome," Winn responded to her back. He really did like Lena. He thought that she was a good influence on his friends. He knew James would come around eventually. While they waited for that moment, he figured he could get the NDA's for Lena to sign to ease James' mind a little.

Alex and Lena headed back to Kara's room and noticed a doctor removing the intubation tube from her throat. When he was finished he gave both women a nod and left. Lena looked to Alex questioningly for an explanation.

"Kara has been breathing better on her own. I figured we should take her off of the intubation and reduce the sedative. I'm hoping she will wake up soon, but she took a nasty hit to the head so I can't be sure. The sun lamps seem to be working to heal her. Hopefully, they keep doing their job."

"How long before she wakes up?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you, Lena. It's anyone's guess. Right now, all we can do is wait."

Lena nodded her head in understanding.

They both resumed their positions next to Kara as they anxiously awaited her awakening.


End file.
